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Seen but not heard: why we must listen to our angry teenagers

Adolescent rage comes in many forms, yet our response should be the same, says Nick Luxmoore: simply to pay attention

Catherine O’Brien

August 8 2006, 1:00am, The Times

By the time Nick Luxmoore visited Nathan at his immaculate family home, the 12-year-old had twice been excluded from school. The first time, Nathan had hurled furniture around the classroom and lashed out at the teacher trying to restrain him. He was sent home for a week and returned promising that it would not happen again. Three weeks later, it did. He hit a boy in the mouth before storming out, kicking the door so hard that its panels split. The deputy head found him half an hour later behind the sports hall, clearly upset but claiming not to care. He was sent home for two weeks and Luxmoore, a psychotherapist and school counsellor, was called in to help everyone decide what to do.